Green House Effect

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Green House Effect is a term used first by J. Fourier in 1827 and it is also called global warming, atmospheric effect or C02 problem. Green House means a building made of glass, with heat and humidity regulated by plants, which allows the short wavelength solar radiation to come in, but does not allow the long wavelength terrestrial infrared radiation to escape. Similarly the earth’s atmosphere bottles up the energy of the sun and acts like green house where, Co2 acts as glass windows. Carbon dioxide and water vapours in the atmosphere transmit short wavelength solar radiation but reflect the longer wavelength heat radiation. So they trap and re-enforce the solar heat stimulating an effect which is popularly known as green house effect. Thus Green house effect is progressive warming up of the earth’s surface due to blanketing effect of manmade C02 in the atmosphere. Green House Gases: The major green house gases are C02, CH4, N20, CFCs. S02 and 03 also enhance global warming. Recently trifluoromethyl sulphur pentafluoride SF5 CF3 present at the height of 8 to 32 Kms above the earth’s surface is found to be 18000 to 22000 times more powerful in trapping atmospheric C02. Relative contribution of green house gases:- C02 = 50%, CH4 = 19%, CFC= 17%, 03 = 8%, N2Q = 4%, H2Q = 2% Global Warming Potential: The potential of a green house gas to cause global warming is expressed by GWP; it is a function of both the infrared asorption characteristics and the lifetime of the gas. CFC > N20 > CH4 > C02 Harmful Impacts of Global Warming The global mean temperature will rise by 1 to 3.5°C by the next century. Melting of polar ice will lead to increased radiation as frozen ice is a good reflector of incoming solar radiation. With the increase in temperature soil becomes dry and durf and goes easily to the air. In cold places it causes smog formation, and in hot places
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